The Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill last Thursday requiring public universities to allow students to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Though the bill does not permit weapons in buildings or classrooms, students would be able to carry guns on all “public rights of way,” which would include public roads and sidewalks.
The bill must now be approved by Gov. Jan Brewer, who has offered past support for more liberal gun laws. Utah is the only other state to have approved a similar measure on college campuses.
Supporters of the bill said that permitting guns on campus would allow students to protect themselves against mass shootings, like the Virginia Tech murders of 2007. Some representatives argued that prohibiting gun possession on college campuses is a violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
“We’re allowing people to defend themselves,” Rep. David Gowan Sr. (R-Ariz.), who voted for the bill, told Reuters.
The legislation faces resistance from the Arizona public, however. According to a February poll conducted by American Viewpoint, 69 percent of Arizonians were opposed to the proposal.
Robert Shelton, president of the University of Arizona, also came out strongly against the bill.
“The notion that having faculty, staff or students toting weapons across campus would somehow make everyone safer is staggeringly naïve,” he wrote in a statement on his website.
“The danger posed by guns is real and well documented. Bringing guns into classrooms simply increases the threat to those on campus. That is unacceptable.”
University of Arizona freshman Alexandra Schultz said that allowing guns on campus would make her feel less safe.
“If there is a shootout, I know someone with a gun isn’t going to help protect people.” she said.
“I don’t know why we would need to have guns on campus.”
“College students are already unstable as it is. The last thing we need is the added stress of having students be armed,” said Elliot Hanson, a freshman at Arizona State University.
Some on the Hilltop disagree with these sentiments.
Sam Dulik, director of communications for the Georgetown University College Republicans, said that permitting students to carry guns on campus can protect them in an emergency.
“If an individual wants to cause harm, he will do so with or without a gun, and it is important to acknowledge that well trained and responsible citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights can save lives when a crisis erupts,” Dulik said.
However, the president of Georgetown’s constitutional law group On the Docket, Sharanbir Grewal (SFS ’13), disagreed with this argument.
“The Second Amendment, as most recently interpreted, is limited to self-defense within the home and not on university campuses,” Grewal said. “I believe the Arizona law is excessive and goes beyond what the Second Amendment permits.”
According to Joseph Smith, the associate director of the Department of Public Safety at Georgetown, allowing guns on campus does not necessarily make students safer.
“The students of Georgetown have been living and learning peacefully here on the Hilltop for over 200 years,” Smith said. “Why add firearms to the equation?”
